Questions surround O-Line

Posted: Thursday, April 05, 2001

By Josh KendallStaff Writer

Mark Richt warned in his first spring practice press conference that the offensive line would be the last of Georgia's unit to absorb the new system, and nothing that has happened over the last two weeks has changed his opinion.

G-Day

Sanford Stadium

Saturday 2 p.m.

''We're struggling there right now,'' the Bulldogs' first-year coach said Tuesday.

The biggest problem is depth. Georgia, which was already thin on the offensive line last year, lost two starters (tackle Jonas Jennings and guard Brady Pate) to graduation over the summer and moved two reserves (guard Ben Lowe and center Tim McDermond) to defensive line prior to spring practice to offset a lack of depth at that position. As a result, the Bulldogs began spring practice with only 10 offensive linemen and injuries had cut that number to seven by Wednesday's practice, the 10th of the spring.

Guard Kevin Breedlove was sidelined for the entirety of spring practice by a cut hand and tackle George Foster is currently sitting out due to a right knee sprain. Foster is expected back before the end of spring practice.

''We would like to have ... about 15 at this time of the year, but we don't have that,'' offensive line coach Neil Callaway said. ''I think we're making progress overall, but I don't think we're where we need to be by any means.''

The only positive side to the Bulldogs' scarcity up front is the players who have remained healthy are getting plenty of practice time in a system that bears little resemblance to what they ran last year, at least semantically.

Said Richt, ''These guys are learning new terminology. To expect them to be sharp immediately is going to be asking an awful lot. The offensive line will probably be the last thing to jell.''

Who will be on the Bulldogs' first-team offensive line remains in doubt and probably will until the fall due to the injury situation. On Wednesday, Stinchcomb and defensive line convert Chris Hewitt were starting at tackle and guard, respectively, on the tight side (tight end on that end of line) and junior college transfer Kareem Marshall and junior Alex Jackson were starting at tackle and guard, respectively, on the split side (no tight end). Barring injury, McGill will be the Bulldogs' starting center in the fall.

Jackson and Foster were both working together as the first team split side before their injuries.

''(The injuries) make it a little hard, but it also gave Hewitt a chance to play and he's done real well and Kareem's come in and played well too,'' McGill said. ''It's going to help them out too next year, in case (the regular starters) go down, we know we can count on them to play.''

Callaway, who also serves as the Bulldogs' offensive coordinator and has coached offensive linemen for more than 20 years, said nothing that happens this spring should be construed as final.

''It's not etched in stone by any means,'' he said. ''We'll get these guys well and get the freshmen in here and give everybody a look and see who our best five are and go from there.''

Georgia has three freshmen offensive linemen -- Russ Tanner, Dennis Roland and James Redmond -- scheduled to come in this fall. Of those, only Tanner appears to have a realistic shot to work his way onto the two-deep depth chart.

NOTES: Tickets for Saturday's G-Day Game will be $5 for adults and $2 for students. The game will be played at 2 p.m. at Sanford Stadium. Tickets can be purchased at the Butts-Mehre Building or at the stadium on the day of the game. Proceeds from the game will go to benefit Habitat for Humanity. All seating will be general admission and the north and south lower levels will be available for seating. Some areas of the club level will be open. Concession stands and restrooms will be open. Fans are being asked not to sit in the upper deck or the east end zone. ... Safety Cap Burnett was taken off the Sanford Stadium field on a backboard early during Wednesday's practice, but an MRI revealed no serious damage. ''All that stuff is precautionary,'' Richt said of Burnett's initial immobilization. Linebacker Ryan Fleming, cornerback Dantra Clements and linebacker Rod Davis also missed practice with minor ailments.

This article published in the Athens Daily News on Thursday, April 5, 2001.